Tuesday, September 12, 2006

This week, New York Magazine has a wonderful feature on butchers and their thoughts on preparing meat--which you can find in both the print and online editions. Molly Friedman and Helen Yun talked to eight NYC butchers (and one chef), about cuts, quality and cooking tips, with some personal histories sprinkled around for color and flavor. Accompanying the quotes are the fantasticly rich and real photographs by Hans Ginssinger who is probably my favorite raw-meat photographer. No one else can make bones and raw flesh look so beautiful.

I don't go to a butcher for my meat (I shop at Whole Foods so I assume what I'm buying is decent quality), but after reading this article, with wisdom such as: "When you see meat at the supermarket, that's a select grade of beef. It has no quality to it. It's just a flat piece of meat." and all the recent supermarket-meat scandals lately, I think I need to check out my local chop shop. Do you go to a butcher? If you're in NY, which one do you use?

My dad used to live on West End Ave., a couple blocks from Lincoln Center, and there was a terrific butcher in his neighborhood. He knew just how my dad liked his steaks and always saved him the choicest (or so it seemed to us.) I live in a small town in the midwest now, but I haven't had the same experience of neighborhood shopping since my dad left Manhattan. Go figure.

I loved that NY Mag piece, too. I personally have to vouch for Florence Meat Market. I go out of my way to make it there if I need serious quality meat, or something that might be difficult to find. They're great.